Gabriela Willems (IJF 31) was overcome with emotion on Wednesday after finishing fifth at the World Championships in Abu Dhabi in the -70 kg category. The 26-year-old from Liège delivered a remarkable performance, notably beating the Austrian Michaela Polleres (IJF 4), Olympic vice-champion, and the Russian Madina Taimazova (IJF 11), to end up losing on ippon in the fight for the bronze medal against the Japanese Shiho Tanaka (IJF 14).
“It’s really been a difficult month, she confided to Belga at the end of her day. I went through competitions and disappointments without preparation. It was my last chance to qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris. After everything I went through… I came without expecting a result. I just wanted to fight, without regrets. I had lost six times against Polleres, including at the Dushanbe Grand Slam three weeks ago. But today I decided to completely change tactics. Against Taimazova, it was much more instinctive. Gahie, in the semi-final, was a very powerful and explosive opponent. I gave my best given the lack of preparation, the injuries and the pressure of qualifying.”
Third among the juniors in 2017 in Zagreb, Gabriela Willems signs with this fifth place the best performance of her career in a World Championship. A result which opens the doors to the Olympic Games in Paris. “Sometimes we want something so much that we think too much about the outcome and not enough about what we can do to get there.she continued. My goal is to recover 100%, prepare excellently for the Games and reach the best of my physical and mental abilities. I thank everyone who supported me and supported me during this time. I didn’t expect to receive so much kindness“.
2024-05-23 07:00:18
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